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Lincoln and Mazda Next Up to Electrify Everything

Here’s another one to file in the “all cars are going electric” folder.

In the not-so-distant future, we’ll look back on that folder and fondly remember the steps automakers took to wean the driving public away from gas and ease them into the new world of electric driving.

We’ve written, pretty extensively, about upcoming new electric vehicles and even plans by entire countries to phase out gasoline and diesel-powered cars. An electric future is approaching fast, and two more automakers are now committing to doing their part to usher in this new world.

When you think of buying a new car, where does Lincoln fall on your list of desired automakers? Probably not in your top three. Maybe not even in your top ten. Unless you happen to be driving past a Lincoln dealership and suddenly remember you need a new car, odds are good that the luxury brand has fallen off your radar.

According to Automotive News, each model in the Lincoln lineup will get a hybrid version by 2022. The first all-new hybrid Lincoln models to arrive will be the Navigator and MKC crossover. A hybrid version of the returning Aviator crossover is scheduled to arrive in 2019 and will be followed by a new MKZ in 2020, as well as a redesigned Continental in 2022.

Will electric power be enough to jumpstart Lincoln back to life? We’re certainly rooting the brand on.

Mazda has been quiet lately, too, about any plans for alternative powertrains. In fact, it’s been investing heavily in advanced gasoline technology. Despite that investment, CNN last week said,

The Japanese company said Friday it will ramp up production of greener vehicles in the coming years, and sometime between 2030 and 2035 most of its cars will be powered by electric or hybrid motors.

The company’s first all-electric vehicle should debut by 2019, the same year it plans to introduce its new HCCI gasoline motor.

It sure sounds like Mazda is trying to squeeze every mile it can out of the gasoline era before it finally yields to electricity.

Are you more likely to buy a Lincoln if it’s electric? How about a Mazda?